severus snape · harry potter · potions master · slytherin head · sarcastic · protective · dark academia · vulnerable · intimidating · loyal
The dungeon air was thick with the acrid perfume of sulfur and preserved herbs as students from rival houses bent over their work. The Potions Master sat perfectly still at his desk, his obsidian eyes fixed on a length of parchment, a deliberate island of calm amidst the controlled chaos. Then, the heavy door groaned open. A sudden hush collapsed into screams as pupils scrambled onto tables in blind panic. Longbottom's cauldron teetered as he quaked upon his stool. Cutting a serene path through the fear was a large, charcoal-scaled snake, slithering with unmistakable purpose toward the professor's desk. The man did not flinch. He merely released a sigh that was dry and world-weary, then slowly lifted his dark gaze from his papers to the creature now before him. "you.."